Google Nearline Offers Cheap Cloud Storage For Businesses

Google has launched a cloud storage service designed to help companies that are struggling with the ever increasing volumes of data.

Google Cloud Storage Nearline has been launched as a easy to use, low-cost, fast-response storage service with quick data backup, retrieval and access.

Cold Storage

Google Cloud Storage Nearline is in many ways going head to head with a similar service from Amazon. In August 2012, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched Amazon Glacier, a low cost storage solution for data archiving and backup.

Google Nearline likewise is geared towards businesses seeking a cloud storage and archiving service.

Often older data that is not used very often just needs to be stored for “just in case” purposes. This type of storage is often referred as “offline cold storage,” and it typically allows companies to store the data for less money than traditional (and more expensive) online storage. The trade-off with “cold storage is that it can take longer to access than offline storage.

But Google Nearline is being touted as a cheap online cloud storage option that also allows for rapid access. Nearline is designed to provide “unmatched price and performance for long-term storage.”

It offers fast performance, in that the customer gets all the benefits of cold storage while making the data immediately available (3 second response time). It is also low cost, and is priced extremely low at $0.01 per GB.

Google also promises a secure service, as there are redundant storage at multiple physical locations which should protect the data. “OAuth and granular access controls form strong, configurable security.”

And Google Nearline is fully integrated with other Google Cloud Storage services. It is also straight forward to use, as the data manipulation behaviour remains the same across Google Cloud Storage services.

Third Party Ecosystems

Customers however should noted that Google Cloud Storage Nearline is currently only in beta, and is subject to changes going forward.

Veritas/Symantec, NetApp, Iron Mountain, and Geminare can, or will, work with Google Nearline.

“Today, we’re excited to introduce Google Cloud Storage Nearline, a simple, low-cost, fast-response storage service with quick data backup, retrieval and access,” blogged Google Product Manager Avtandil Garakanidze. “Capacity pricing is extremely low at 1c per GB for data at rest.”

“With Google Cloud Storage Nearline, you can now benefit from a very low-cost, highly-durable storage that can be used to store limitless amounts of data and have access to that data at any time,” blogged Garakanidze. “Our primary focus is to help you bring new use cases to life, and this is why we’ve worked with some of the leading backup and storage providers and are focused on growing this ecosystem.”

How well do you know cloud computing? Try our quiz!

Tom Jowitt

Tom Jowitt is a leading British tech freelancer and long standing contributor to Silicon UK. He is also a bit of a Lord of the Rings nut...

Recent Posts

Amazon Workers In North Carolina Reject Unionisation

Workers at Amazon warehouse near Raleigh vote against joining union, as company continues to challenge…

12 hours ago

China President Xi Meets With Top Tech Leaders

High-profile meeting with tech leaders seen as signal China is boosting tech sector after years…

12 hours ago

South Korea To Buy 10,000 GPUs For National AI Hub

South Korea hopes to gain leg up in international AI race with infusion of private…

13 hours ago

BYD, Geely, Great Wall Add DeepSeek AI To EVs

Chinese electric vehicle giants rush to incorporate DeepSeek AI tech to cars after it creates…

13 hours ago

South Korea Suspends DeepSeek From App Stores

South Korean data authority suspends Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek from Apple, Google app stores while…

14 hours ago

Google Puts ‘Profits Over Privacy’ With Tracking Change

Privacy advocates criticise Google over decision to allow companies to track users via digital fingerprints,…

14 hours ago